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What is it?

A cow’s milk blue cheese from Italy, Gorgonzola comes in two varieties. Gorgonzola Dolce (sweet) is mild with a rich, creamy interior that makes it an excellent choice for cooking. It has an ivory-colored interior that can be lightly or thickly streaked with bluish-green veins in layers. Mountain Gorgonzola (also called naturale) has a crumbly, dry texture and a potent blue flavor that’s best if left unheated and served with fruits like pears and apples or with nuts and sweet wine to offset its intensity.

Kitchen math:

8 oz. = about 2 cups crumbled

Don’t have it?

You can substitute Maytag, Roquefort, Stilton, or any other crumbly blue.

How to choose:

When aged more than six months, the flavor and aroma of Gorgonzola can be quite strong—sometimes downright stinky because of its brine-washed rind. Because of this tendency, pay particular attention to the quality of any Gorgonzola you buy (an interior that’s more yellow than ivory is another sign of excessive aging).

This messy-to-eat-but-totally-worth-it appetizer is a fabulous combination of sweet, salty, herby, and nutty flavors. Use scissors to cut the clusters into individual portions, and serve with plenty of napkins.